An eschatological, non-denominational ministry

One in 10 countries have adequate protection against a ‘catastrophic’ biological event

Blog note:
And great earthquakes shall be in diverse places,
and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs
shall there be from heaven. (Luke 21:11). Jesus is giving a series of
prophecies about what to look for as the age of grace comes to a close. This
verse from Luke is one of many such prophecies from throughout the Bible. 2017
was the worst year in recorded history for the intensity, frequency, severity,
duration and occurrence of a large number of severe natural disasters
worldwide. Earthquakes, volcanoes, hurricanes, typhoons, cyclones, torrential
flooding, unprecedented wildfires in unusual places, devastating droughts,
excessive/scorching heat setting records everywhere, record snowfalls in Europe
and Russia. Snow in the Arabia. This list can go on. Most studied
eschatologists believe these ‘fearful sights’ and massive natural disasters are
all part of the ‘CONVERGENCE’ of signs that this Biblical and prophetic age is
closing. Most people who study prophecy are familiar with the routine
reference(s) made that these things will be like a woman having labor
pains that occur in greater severity, frequency, size and
duration prior to giving birth. End of note.

Revelation 6 King
James Version (KJV)

1 … And
I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise
of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see.

2 … And
I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was
given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.

3 … And
when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see.

4 … And
there went out another horse that was red: and power was
given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they
should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword.

5 … And
when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see.
And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him
had a pair of balances in his hand.

6 … And
I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a
penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil
and the wine.

7 … And
when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say,
Come and see.

8 … And
I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on
him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over
the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with
death, and with the beasts of the earth.

War, Famine,
Pestilence, Death. (Emphasis added).

One in 10 countries have adequate
protection against a ‘catastrophic’ biological event

Ben Farmer. The Telegraph. November 14, 2018

Fewer than one-in-10
countries have met global standards for securing killer germs, increasing risks
of an accidental disease outbreak or bioterrorism, a campaign group has warned. Just
19 countries completing a United Nations safety check have built or shown
strong biosecurity safeguards. No countries meet the highest standard for
biosecurity.

A large scale disease
outbreak is judged one of the most serious threats to both the UK and America. While a naturally occurring disease
outbreak such as the 1918 flu pandemic is considered the most likely risk, security
experts are also worried about the possibility of bioterrorism, or an
accidental release of a microorganism from a laboratory.

Lax
standards were highlighted in 2015 when it was disclosed the Pentagon had both
accidentally posted live anthrax samples to dozens of laboratories. An NTI
review of countries who have undertaken a World Health Organization voluntary
check of their biosecurity found only 19 countries had developed or
demonstrated security that meets global standards.

“When
countries do not have robust systems to protect their dangerous pathogens from
being stolen, from being released as a result of a laboratory accident, or from
being manipulated during research absent a risk assessment, they increase the
potential for a catastrophic biological event,” said Dr Beth Cameron of NTI. Dr.
Cameron, a former US national security council adviser on biosecurity, said global
travel, urbanisation, terrorists’ interest in weapons of mass destruction and
rapid advances in genetic engineering were all adding to the threat.

“If we don’t
develop biosecurity and biosafety systems at pace with these threats, we run
the risk for an accidental or intentional disease outbreak that could degrade
the health, economic stability, and security of our global community,” she told
the Telegraph. So far 97 countries out of 196 have completed a WHO
checklist to measure if nations can spot and deal with public health crises
like disease outbreaks. Part of the checklist is how well
countries can identify and secure harmful micro organisms in laboratories, as
well as safely overseeing potentially dangerous research into them. Only 19
countries scored level three or four out of five in the assessment, showing
they had developed or demonstrated capacity.

“There are likely
some countries that haven’t been assessed but which that do have capability in
place – however, without the assessment we won’t know,” said Ms Cameron. The
UK has yet to complete the checklist, but the Department for Health said it had
completed a pilot version in 2015 and been found to have “a strong baseline
position”. Rapid advances in biotechnology and genetic engineering mean
experimenting on and manipulating dangerous germs is no longer the preserve of
top laboratories.

Hamish de
Bretton-Gordon, former head of the British military’s joint chemical,
biological, radiological and nuclear unit, said biosecurity was an area of “huge
concern”. Many countries only paid “lip service” to biosecurity, and terrorists
have always looked at biological weapons as “the ultimate weapon to cause
mass casualties and terrorise millions”, he said.

“The
terrorist intent is definitely there and lax standards and unscrupulous or
rogue governments or organisations may be willing to sell pathogens at very
high prices,” he suggested. “Having said that bio terror is not easy and there
are effective medical counter measures for most bio weapons. But they are a
massive psychological weapon and perfect for terrorists if they can pull it
off.”